Hybrid Systems

Renewable Energy: What Does Sustainable Mean & Is It Possible; Yes or No?

Renewable Energy, Is it the alternative?

Background

Right now America and most of the world run on fossil fuel such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels are natural resources such as oil and natural gas that come from the earth. Though these sources may be natural, they will run out eventually. 85% of the U.S.’s energy is produced by fossil fuels . 51% of our oil comes from outside sources such as the Middle East. Right now in the U.S. only 2% of the energy is renewable. Not only has the fact that these fossil fuels will run out, the fact that scientist are saying that these fuels have adverse affects on nature have caused a debate over whether we should use alternatives or stay on our current energy policy.

The major crisis that brought this debate into the U.S. was the energy crisis of 1970. This happened when some oil exporting countries in the Middle East stopped selling oil to countries that were supporting Israel’s military campaigns near there region. Since the U.S. was a big supporter of the Israel they did not get oil from these countries. As a result of this embargo there was considerably less oil in the U.S. The government was franticly doing what is could to save fuel such as advertising fuel efficiency and reducing speed limits to increase cars fuel efficiency.

Alternative Energy, the savior of the Earth

The main argument for renewable energy is that we harm the environment as well as the world through our current energy policy of fossil fuels and that we need an independent energy market.

There are many reasons why people support alternative energy and one of them is the fact that oil and natural gas will run out. This one of the most obvious reasons why people say we should switch now instead of waiting till there are no more fossil fuels left on the earth. Supporters say that they want a reliable energy source for the future generation.

Another reason to switch to renewable energy is because fossil fuel causes global warming and pollution. Fossil fuels produce a gas known as CO2 which causes the heat from the sun to stay on the earth instead of diffusing out of the atmosphere. The way that excess co2 is created is by combustion, which is the process which fossil fuels are burned. The heat that stays in causes glacier melting, rising sea levels, more destructive storms, and intense heat waves. Alternative energy such as Fuel cells or wind and solar power don’t require burning anything which means that no by product is produced except water vapor by fuel cells . As of now the United States produces one fourth of the world’s carbon emissions which makes us the leading cause of global warming (Alternative Energy Should Be Pursued). This makes it more the reason to switch to alternative energy.

Most of our oil comes from outside sources such as the Middle East and Venezuela. Most people don’t like this not only because these places harbor anti-American sentiment but also because they can cripple our country by not giving us oil like the crisis of 1970 (Shaw, 2004) (Renewable Energy, 2007). These countries can cripple our economy because if we get less oil it drives the price up which leads to less people buying gas which can even lead to higher prices (Shaw, 2004).

Many critics of renewable energy say that it is expensive while coal is cheap. This is not entirely true because through passing time engineers have developed ways to make renewable energy cheaper then they once were. For example Bloom Energy, a company, has invented a fuel cell that uses fossil fuels to generate power with out producing co2. This happens because they the fuel cell works there is no combustion. This fuel cell also does to not use any precious metal or corrosive material such as other fuel cells. Also wind energy is 4.6 cents KWh (kilowatts an hour). Meanwhile, electricity produced by the installation of a new coal-fired power plant would cost 5 to 6.4 cents kWh, 4 and 5.7 cents kWh in the case of a gas-fired plant, and 4.6 to 6.5 cents kWh in a nuclear facility, according to calculations by UNIPEDE (International Union of Producers and Distribution of Electrical Energy). You can read our article on Bloom Energy for more information.

Alternative Energy, No Way!

Opponents base there claim that renewable energy is not the solution on several facts including, it’s not reliable, it more expensive, and that it can’t compete in the current energy market. They say renewable energy won’t help our economy and it isn’t a good energy source.

Critics say that renewable energy is too expensive. Conventional energy (the one we use now) production costs have come down 22 years to a constant 3cent per KwH while renewable energy costs vary from place to place. Renewable energy gets money from government subsidies and other government investments (Taylor).

Renewable energy also can’t provide energy all the time. Wind and solar power, which are two of the main renewable energy sources, are unreliable because it may not always be windy or sunny. Also it is hard to store these kinds of energies. For example solar power may be easy to harness in the summer but it is very difficult to store the energy in the winter. Finally you can’t use these renewable everywhere, it not very windy everywhere or sunny everywhere.

Since fossil fuels are cheaper it would be hard for renewable energy to compete in the energy market. For example Christine Real de Azua, an analyst at the Wind Energy Association, concedes that “the fact remains that wind energy, while close to being competitive with conventional generating technologies … was still not competitive enough. This shows that even though wind energy is close to the same cost as conventional energy it does not have the potential to survive in the market unless the government intervenes.

Renewable energy isn’t as environmentally friendly as most people think.

Ethanol for example is made of wheat, corn, or sugar cane. For these crops to grow the require lots of fertilizer and heavy duty machinery, both which rely heavily on fossil fuels.

Big hydroelectric dams also destroy ecosystems. One side is heavily flooded while the other does not have enough water. Windmills also kill about a million birds each year (Renewable Energy is economically costly).

Conclusion As To What Does Sustainable Mean

Renewable Energy may not be on everyone’s mind right now but it will be soon. Our world may need a new energy source for the future. People will have to make tough decisions whether they need energy that hurts the environment or one that possibly produces less energy but is much cleaner. Right now people have many things to consider such as war, hunger, and international threats but sooner or later if this crisis is not resolved we may end up with no energy or much polluted world.

Green Energy Solutions – What’s in the Future for Renewable Energy?

Renewables Have the Potential to Replace Existing Sources

In 2019, renewable energy sectors are booming, however, the recession saw drops in electricity demand, according to Peter Behr (Climatewire.com), and the motivation to develop renewable sources may suffer.

President Obama’s support of traditional energy resources such as nuclear and offshore drilling further underscored the near-term direction on energy which this administration will pursue.

Balancing Emerging Technologies with Existing Ones

This policy direction faces some serious decision-making times, and will need to deal with such issues as: how can renewable sources of electrical energy be structured to become the top energy source? How should Congress balance emerging technologies with existing ones? And should the administration expend financial resources into adapting traditional technologies, like clean coal, or should the focus be on wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy?

The renewable energy sector is a new business model and needs to have large and predictable markets to invest in the economies of scale in manufacturing that will drive down costs. For renewable energy technologies, where initial costs are generally higher than prevailing market prices, strong and consistent government policy support is a key requirement for creating initial demand. Here green energy solutions can offer healthier options for all.

Using Existing Technologies Effectively

Many renewable energy sources are already positioned as top energy sources using existing technologies. Wind energy over the last several years has represented a significant share of new electric generation and solar power will soon begin to contribute, as well.

Both wind and solar represent ‘manufactured energy’ since they rely on the availability of a natural resource, coupled with the increasingly sophisticated collection and conversion equipment, to transform the energy produced into concentrated energy sources, which can be transmitted to users efficiently and effectively.

The scale of production is important to both wind and solar to bring costs down. The solar industry is transitioning from a sector of component assembly operations to large-scale manufacturing of solar panels (photo-voltaic modules) and other components. New market entrants are bringing capital, technology and manufacturing experience from established and successful industries, such as semiconductor and display, which will dramatically increase scale, automation, and throughput of photovoltaic module production in the coming years.

Needed: A Renewable Electricity Standard

The administration needs to implement a strong renewable electricity standard, according to allow the market to select the most advantageous mix of resources to minimize costs. On the point of minimizing costs, most states have been able to achieve renewable energy targets at little to no additional cost to ratepayers, at the same time creating significant new job opportunities.

Colorado is one state that has attracted significant renewable energy manufacturing in addition to downstream development jobs. In a recent report, the RES Alliance for Jobs claimed that a national energy policy will support an additional 274,000 renewable energy jobs across the U.S. when measured against a no-national policy option.

At a time when millions of Americans are unemployed, the U.S. administration needs to enact legislation to make renewables a larger part of the energy mix.

Opportunities for Renewable Energy Nigeria Projects

Nigeria, with a population of over one hundred and twenty million citizens, and still growing is a very fertile land for the deployment of renewable energy. This is because the country is grappling with electricity problems both in the home and industrial sectors. Despite the huge funds sunk into several electricity projects by successive governments, the power situation is yet to improve. Only a few places within the whole country can boast of steady supply of electricity on a daily basis, and some of this is due to private efforts. These few areas include some residential quarters and Central Business Districts in Lagos and Abuja using prepaid card meters, a few states with Independent Power Projects, Oil and gas terminals operated by the energy companies etc.

For this reason, individuals and corporate bodies that can afford it are willing to generate their own form of renewable energy in order to eliminate diesel purchase and generator maintenance costs which they currently incur regularly in a bid to generate their own electricity. The major forms of renewable energy sources in use by few buildings within the country today are stand alone solar and wind energy installations. These are used to power homes and street lights in most capital cities, with Lagos, the country’s commercial nerve centre, having the highest volume. However, some of these installations are poorly maintained and die off before long.

A survey of opinions across citizens indicates that most people would be willing to pay a premium, not too high anyway, to get access to the reliable supply of electricity if they are billed strictly according to usage. This would really save them from the arbitrary nature of billing currently in use by the country’s own Power Holding Company, which is currently in the process of being privatized to aid efficiency and profitability. Now, let us explore some of the renewable energy opportunities in the different sectors within the Nigerian economy.

Home and Office Renewable Energy Opportunities

This is a very large market that holds promise for any company that is able to key into the available opportunities that abound in this sector. For instance, a lot of residential estates are currently under construction or in the planning phase across different states in Nigeria. In depth discussions with the developers of these projects can result in the building of modular solar and wind projects that will provide electricity for the estate as a whole.

The same strategy can work for the multitude of high-rise office buildings and shopping complexes that are planned for the commercial districts of Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Kano among others. Apart from delivering constant electricity, these projects can lead to the incorporation of green building construction practices in these projects.

Industrial Renewable Energy Opportunities

Poor energy supply is the biggest problem being faced by companies in the manufacturing and other sectors of the Nigerian economy. Businesses have to spend millions of Naira on an annual basis to generate electricity for office and factory use. This added cost contributes to the overhead, makes the product less competitive in the market and reduces profitability in the long run. It must be noted that regular power supply is an important ingredient for the success of any economy.

It is an open secret that these companies will embrace any form of electricity generation that is reliable and affordable. Renewable energy installations in the form of solar and wind energy can be concentrated at a vantage point to serve a multitude of companies. For instance, building such a renewable energy power plant somewhere along or across the Lagos Lagoon will tap from the abundant winds of the Atlantic Ocean and year round sunny conditions of Lagos. Top companies situated on the Victoria Island and Ikoyi axis will definitely subscribe to such a project, with the potential to pay off itself within a short period.

The two sectors mentioned above are about the top priority areas in solving electricity needs within the Nigerian system. However, intensive discussions with various levels of government and approvals are required to get these projects off the ground.

So, redefine your business’s Nigeria Strategy and key into renewable energy business opportunities as this is still a fertile field in Nigeria. Above all, success in this kind of venture will place your company in an enviable position within the overall energy industry in terms of reputation, profitability, and sustenance of business partnerships.

Renewable Energy From The Energy Box

Personal Home Power Plant

Bloom Energy has been working on a new fuel cell that can power homes using less energy. The inventor is K. R. Sridhar, CEO of Bloom Energy, has invented a miniature backyard power plant that could generate enough power for your home without any connection to the local electric grid. A self-contained power source within your own residence that makes clean and efficient energy. Sridhar envisions his tiny power box in every home in the conceivable future.

Bloom Energy sees a great market for this kind of independent and future supplanted energy source to replace costly big power plants and grid transmission. The whole design is green tech friendly and a nice alternative. No precious metals used, the Bloom Energy fuel cell incorporates flat wafer technology, and easily fabricated without the need of a clean room.

The Bloom Box and Sridhar were covered in a 60 Minutes news report by Leslie Stahl about the benefits and potential of this new device. Bloom Energy plans to lower the cost to $3000 and reduce its size of The Box thus enabling all Americans to have one in their own basement. Generating your own electrical power wirelessly, no need for cables or loss of efficiency from transmission. Up to twenty large companies are seriously taking note and are already using/testing The Box. Big companies like Google, Wal-Mart, and FedEx have secretly purchased the Bloom Energy Boxes.

Bacteria Spark

Electric Microbe. Professor Derek Lovely knows that most people disdain from hearing about bacteria, but one noticeably helpful microbe, Geobacter, is proving to be very beneficial in making electricity. K. R. Sridhar has tiny hair-like extensions called pili that it uses to generate electricity from wastewater and mud.

At the University of Massachusetts, Professor Lovley and his team of researchers in Amherst have engineered a strain of the electrical energy producing bacteria that is 8x more proficient than regular Geobacter. Their goal is to develop clean and cheap Geobacter-based fuel cells that can generate electricity.

Discovering bacteria like Geobacter that can handle electrons with its hair-like highly conductive structure may provide a simple way to producing energy. Professor Lovely believes micro-organism cultures such as this can ultimately create reasonably cheap bio nanowires and efficient natural fuel cells as an alternative form of creating electrical power.

Solar Investment Tax Credit Rampdown

Are you even aware of this? Have you claimed or are you claiming? Do you know this is decreasing? Did you know, solar energy still only represents 2.5% of energy production in the United States. Are you leaving money on the table?

In July this year, a 5 year extension was put through Senate and the House. Read more on this press release here.

The old saying goes, money is better in your pocket than in theirs. The same applies when it comes to tax money too. If you are entitled to claim back money, then why are you not doing it? Are you aware of the solar tax credit expiration?

To give an example, here is an article from 10 years back which shows what was announced by the authorities. Ever wondered how many people were even aware of this? Out of those people, how many actually took part?

Saving Money and Helping the Environment in the Bluegrass State

Starting in 2009, Kentucky residents who install a renewable energy system, or make energy efficiency improvements in their homes, rental properties, or businesses can take advantage of a credit against their Kentucky state income tax. A tax credit is a direct, dollar-for-dollar reduction of your taxes, as opposed to a deduction, which reduces your income subject to tax. According to current legislation, this credit will be in effect from January 1, 2009 until December 31, 2015. Now the good news here is, this has been extended. The bad news is this will decrease after 2019.

How much is the credit?

The energy efficiency tax credit, according to the Kentucky legislation that established it, is broken down between a residential tax credit, a renewable energy system tax credit, and a commercial tax credit.

Residential tax credit

The residential tax credit applies to energy efficiency improvements you make in your principal residence or in a single-family or multi-family rental property you own. The credit is 30% of the installed cost of qualifying energy property, which includes heat pumps, central air conditioners, water heaters and advanced air circulating fans; weatherization improvements such as insulation, storm doors and windows; energy efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems; and lighting systems.

There are dollar limits on the credit you can claim for individual items. You can claim up to $100 for upgraded insulation; up to $250 for energy-efficient windows and storm doors; and up to $250 per item for heat pumps, central air conditioners, water heaters and advanced air circulating fans. The maximum total credit for all items is $500 per taxpayer for residential energy efficiency improvements.

Renewable energy system tax credit

You can claim a credit for 30% of the installed cost of an active or passive solar space heating system, a solar water-heating system, a combined active solar space-heating and water-heating system; or a wind turbine or wind machine at your Kentucky residence, a rental property you own, or at your business. You can claim a credit of $3 per watt DC of rated capacity when you install a solar photovoltaic system to generate electricity.

The maximum credit is $500 per taxpayer if you install the renewable energy system at your principal residence or in a single-family rental property in Kentucky. If you install the system at a multi-family rental property or at a commercial property in Kentucky, the maximum credit is $1,000. Check out details of the solar tax credit expiration, so you don’t miss out.

Commercial tax credit

You can claim a tax credit for 30% of the installed cost of an energy-efficient interior lighting system up to a maximum credit of $500, or 30% of the installed cost of an energy-efficient heating, cooling, ventilation or hot water system, also up to a maximum of $500, that you install in a commercial property. The total maximum commercial tax credit is $1,000 per taxpayer. Commercial properties for this purpose do not include single-family or multi-family residential units.

Requirements

In order to qualify for the tax credit, the energy efficiency improvements you make, or the renewable energy system you install, must meet certain requirements. According to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, attic insulation must be R-38 or higher, exterior wall and crawl space insulation must be at least R-13, and floor insulation at least R-19.

An electric heat pump water heater must yield an energy factor of at least 2.0 according to the standard Department of Energy test procedure. A split central air conditioning system must have a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 15 and an energy efficiency ratio (EER) of 12.5. A packaged central air conditioning system must have an SEER of 14 and an EER of 12. A natural gas, propane, or oil water heater must have an energy factor of 0.80 or higher. And a natural gas, propane, or oil furnace, or hot water boiler must have an annual fuel utilization efficiency ratio of at least 95.

Solar active space heating, solar hot water, and solar photovoltaic systems must be installed by installers certified by the NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners). Solar water heaters must have collectors certified according to the operating guideline standard OG-100 of the SRCC (Solar Rating and Certification Corporation) and must have at least a five-year warranty. Solar photovoltaic systems must meet the requirements of the National Electric Code and the solar panels and inverters must be rated and listed by Underwriters Laboratories.

Closed loop geothermal heat pumps must have an EER of 14.1 and a COP (coefficient of performance) of 3.6. An open loop geothermal heat pump must have an EER of 16.2 and a COP of 3.5. A direct expansion geothermal heat pump must have an EER of 15 and a COP of 3.5. Wind turbines must meet the industry standards developed by the AWEA (American Wind Energy Association) and the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Electric Code, and must be UL listed.

How to claim the credit

You claim the energy efficiency or renewable energy tax credit when you file your annual Kentucky state income tax return. The credit is nonrefundable, which means that if the amount of the credit exceeds your income tax liability you cannot receive a refund for the difference, but you can carry forward the unused portion of the credit for one year and apply the balance against your tax liability the following year.

You should keep copies of invoices, receipts, installation contracts, proof of the installer’s NABCEP certification, and any other information that supports the credit you are claiming. The Kentucky Department of Revenue may request copies of that documentation to verify the credit.

The Contribution Of Renewable Energy Companies In Indonesia

Indonesia consists of thousands of islands with almost 200 million people. Some factors such as the development of economic and population in Indonesia has resulted in an increase of electricity consumption. The electricity in Indonesia is managed by a government company called by PLN (Perusahaan Listrik Negara). Every year PLN formulates a long term plan of electricity supply in Indonesia which is written in an annual report of power planning (RUPTL). PLN (2009:p.36) reports that the rate of economic growth has achieved 6.32 % in 2007 and the rate of population growth of 1.17% in every year.

Moreover according to PLN (2009,p.39), the projection of consumen growth is average 2,7 million every year and PLN estimates energy sales and peak load for next ten years. Responding these, PLN should develop new power plants to fulfill energy demands. The composition of power generations based on the type of fuels in 2007 can be seen in reference (PLN 2009:79). Recently coal has become the favourite type of fuels in power generation because Indonesia has a large amount of coal reserves. Also it’s generation cost is cheap and can be used to produce electricity in big capacity. Whereas oil power plants still dominate in an isolated power system.

However, in order to develop the electricity in islands that are isolated, the government has started to utilize renewable resources as energy sources of the power plant. Currently, the isolated systems were generally supplied by diesel power plants. Therefore the implementation of renewable energy would be fuel saving purposes or develop a new power system. Relating to geographic conditions, some types of renewable resources have great potential energy such as solar, hydro, wind, wave and geothermal.

Renewable Energy Indonesia Assessment

Twidell (1986, p.3) defined renewable energy as energy which is produced naturally by environtment and has infinite reserves because they can be continually formed in short time. Because it is potential energy, another government institution which employs in energy conservation and electricity, DIRJEN LPE, has created an energy map of renewable resources to utilize the development of renewable energy in Indonesia. This institution measures the parameters of renewable resources at some potential locations in Indonesia which might be useful and important for the renewable energy assessment.

Varun et al. (2009) states that there are three indicators to assess renewable energy technologies such as pay-back time, greenhouse gas emission and generation cost. As the result, hydro and wind turbine were the most favourable in first priority which were followed by photovoltaic and solar thermal. Tidal and wave might not included because people seldom develop them. Nusa Penida in Bali was chosen as a prototype of the development of renewable power generation.

The assessment of wind turbine need some carefully consideration because the wind can stop and blow anytime. Because of that, it is important to examine the candidate regions by looking at some measured parameters. And the measurement might need a long time to validate the data. DIRJEN LPE has compiled the implementation data of wind energy.

Generally, Indonesia has low wind speed and Suripno, a research of LAPAN (National Research of Space), comments in National Newspaper Kompas (2009) that Indonesia has only 6 locations which have wind speed more than 6 m/s. Whereas Nusa Penida has wind speed in range of 3-12 m/s.

In addition to utilizing renewable energy, Indonesia locates in equator with range latitude from 6oN to 11oS and longitude from 94o to 141oE. This location might provide Indonesia a great solar irradiation and predictable climate because it is closer to the sun than any location on the earth. Morrison and Sudjito (1992, p.67) measures the global irradiation in some locations in Indonesia.

Denpasar received highest global irradiation during the year in range of 16 to 21 MJ/m2 day. Also DIRJEN LPE has summarized global irradiation measurement in more locations in term of solar energy map. Radiation defines a parameter of the energy density of the sunlight.

Discussion

In 1992 a government institution on technology justification and application (BPPT) has initiated to utilise renewable enery resources as primary energy by building hybrid power plant which consists of wind turbine, solar power plant and diesel power plant in Nusa Penida, Bali. This hybrid power plant can produce 200 kWh/day where about 10% from wind turbine, 50-75% from solar and less from diesel power plant. Amiral Aziz, a staff of BPPT, comments in National Newspaper Kompas (2009) that it could save 70% diesel oil consumption. However since 2002, the tower of wind turbine fallen because of corrosion problem even it located in the mountain. Consequently, it couldnot be operated. The corrosion might be occurred because of less maintenance. Nusa Penida is surrounded by ocean as the result the air might has acid characteristics. Hence the selection of material which has corrosive resistance might be important in developing a power plant in Nusa Penida besides a good maintenance programm.

In 2006, 2 units of wind turbine from Netherland with capacity of 80 kW started operating which were operated hybrid with diesel power plant. Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Republic of Indonesia (DESDM, 2007) states that until September 2007, both wind turbines had resulted in fuel saving by 49,429 litre diesel oil or about 321 million rupiah or US$ 33402 with assumption that the price of 1 litre diesel oil is 6500 rupiah and kurs 1 USD = 9600 rupiah. The next renewable power generations were started operating in 2007 and 2008.The composition of power plants into the load balance of Nusa Penida System where the total install capacity exceeds the peak load for security power supply reason.

However generally Indonesia has low wind speed and most of wind turbine are produced in Europe concept which generally for high wind speed. In order to improve the efficiency, current researches in Institute Technology Bandung develops new type of wind turbine to catch energy of low wind speed. Hopefully this technology effects wind turbine more efficient.

The integration of renewable power plant into a grid system requires accurate consideration especially into an isolated system because it will affect to the power quality and the availaibility of system. In order to guarantee the security of power supply, these power plants were placed as reserved power. In case of the wind stop blowing suddenly, Dell and Rand (2004,p.163) stated that an energy storage such as battery can be used to support automatically diesel engine as backup of wind turbine because they can response unpredicted change of demand immediately (spinning reserve). Because of that, the excess power renewable power plant is prioritized to fill the battery. The kind of energy storage is determined by the scale of the system (Dell and Rand, 2004).

In spite of the positive contribution of wind turbine and solar power plant, they cause some environtment impacts. Tiwari and Ghosal (2005,p.518-519) identifies that wind turbine results in noise, human safety hazards and image disruption. Also it requires land for installation. While photovoltaic system requires land and large materials. Some type of solar cell are dangerous for health because contain arsenic and cadmium. However for wind turbine, they might be solved by improved power transmission, isolated space, and sosialization. Selection of solar cell could be solution of health such as silicon.

In addition to diversification of renewable energy, government tries to invite investors by providing subsidization. Currently the electricity price of renewable power plant is higher than other types of power plant such as coal because high capital cost and lower output capacity. Consequently, the pay-back time of renewable power generation would be longer than fossil power plant. Because of that investors do not want to invest their money in renewable power generation.

Renewable Energy Indonesia Conclusion

In conclusion, renewable energy contributes to fulfill energy demand. The development of renewable power generation might be the solution to provide electricity for people in islands therefore hopefully it would increase the economy. The benefit of fuel saving in the existing isolated system could be an income for the government. Currently, renewable power generation cannot compete with a coal power plant. In the future, hopefully by the development of technology and mass local production, renewable power generation would be cheaper and then be able to compete with coal or other type power generation. The new technology of manufacturing solar cell allows the reduction of the cost such as thin film. The government could facilitate the development of renewable power generation by subsidizing and fund policy such as loan with low interest rate to investors.

Senate to Focus on Renewable Energy and Transmission

For decades both the Federal government and industry has preferred the older, dirtier and more expensive fossil fuels over renewable energy. But that may be changing as the U.S. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee begins hearings focusing exclusively on renewable energy and transmission.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D., Nevada, told the committee members, during a June 2008 meeting, that Nevada has set a goal of 20% alternative energy use by the year 2015 and encouraged them to consider a national goal of 20% renewable by 2020. If the nation had such a goal, according to Senator Reid, it would create at least 185,000 new jobs and save consumers $10.5 billion in lower electricity and natural gas bills.”

A recent U.S. Department of Energy study found that wind alone could provide 20% of U.S. electricity – the same amount currently provided by nuclear power – by 2030. However, wind, like solar would requires an investment in new transmission. In addition the report noted that the transmission investment needed for wind to provide 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030 would be about $60 billion, or about $3 billion per year. This is a modest amount compared to the $8 billion spent annually in recent years on the current aged transmission infrastructure.

Debating Fossil Fuels Pros And Cons

Don Furman, Senior Vice President of Iberdrola Renewables, and President-elect of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) agreed with the report pointing out that the existing and aging electric transmission system was not designed to tap renewables, but regardless must be upgraded.

In testimony prepared for the Senate committee, T. Boone Pickens noted that, “It is clear that renewable energy sources are an essential national security strategy. We need a national electricity transmission system to carry this electricity, be it wind, solar, biofuels or other alternatives.”

Senator Reid pointed out that the nationwide investment in transmission has declined for over two decades while “electricity sales have nearly doubled, prices have risen, and consumer demand continues to grow.”

It appears that the nation must make a significant investment in the transmission grid but such an investment will be required even if we ignore renewables. The Brattle Group has estimated that the nation will need $1.5 trillion for distribution and transmission between 2010 and 2030.

Unlike war spending, investing in renewables makes economic sense it creates substantial savings to both utilities and consumer said the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) in a recent study on wind energy. From their study they concluded that transmitting wind energy from North and South Dakota to New York City on a new 5,000 mile 765-kV transmission line would result in substantial savings for consumers.

But, that investment must be smart. And that does not mean relying on coal and linking existing and highly inefficient coal plants by Federal energy corridors.

Further any cost and benefit analysis of the transmission of wind and solar vs. continued development in fossil fuels must include the impact on global warming.

Senator Reid has begun addressing the problem by introducing S.2076 he suggests would “tackle several of the obstacles to new investment in renewable electricity transmission.” Weighing up fossil fuels pros and cons debate, it is clear investment is required.

Specifically, the bill directs the President to identify and designate zones where renewable energy resources can generate at least 1,000 megawatts of electricity. It would then provide new financing options for building transmission lines and connecting remote renewable energy zones to the grid.

These lines would carry mostly clean renewable energy thus also addressing global warming. Under this bill developers would pay back the government over 50 years. The bill also clarifies the ability of utilities to recover prudently incurred costs for interstate high-voltage lines. In addition, it allows for intrastate trunkline charging. These charges would decline as more renewable projects are added. In addition, existing power customers would not be liable for the costs of renewable project interconnects.

Resistors to renewable plans suggest that they cannot afford transmission lines that carry only or mainly renewably generated electricity. That, of course, is shortsighted nonsense since the nation must find solutions to both the need for low-cost, renewable, energy and global warming.

Congress and the President are currently spending $341.4 million per day on the Iraqi war. The Department of energy study suggested that it would cost $60 billion to provide 20% of our nations need with wind energy. It doesn’t take much imagination to see that the current congress and administration prefers a misguided war over energy efficiency and public health in the United States.

Sources

Reid, Harry, “Before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; Challenges and Regional Solutions to Developing Transmission for Renewable Electricity Resources,” during Full Committee Hearing: to examine the challenges and regional solutions to developing transmission for renewable electricity resources (SD 366) Tuesday, June 17, 2008

U.S. Department of Energy with contributions from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the American Wind Energy Association, Black & Veatch and others from the energy sector, “20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy’s Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply,“

Furman, Don, “Statement of Donald N. Furman, IBERDROLA Renewables, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate,” during Full Committee Hearing: to examine the challenges and regional solutions to developing transmission for renewable electricity resources (SD 366) Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Conservation of energy even in small ways can end up in big savings and fewer greenhouse gas emissions, thus helping save our mother Earth.

Turning off the lights when not in use and other habits can definitely be a part of the solution. But there are several measures available today that can help increase the energy performance of your home.

Here are a few carbon reducing and energy saving steps anyone can take.

The Domestic Sector accounts for around 30% of total energy consumption. There is a huge potential to conserve energy by implementing simple measures. Saving energy doesn’t always need intricate planning and complicated implementation.

There are lots and lots of things we all can do right now to start with energy saving and help in reducing electricity bills. Remember…Energy saved is energy Generated.

Following are some easy practical solutions for saving energy:

Hot Water Heater Tips

We all know that hot water uses a lot of energy so when your shower starts to get cold, turns the cold water down instead of turning the hot water up.

Get a programmable thermostat which is compatible with your heating and cooling system. Turn it low in the winter and high in the summer.

Insulate all your water pipes with foam pipe insulation beginning from hot water heater to all hot water valves, particularly your shower, clothes washer and dishwasher. This will also decrease the time for the water to get hot.

Showers utilize less water than tub baths, especially low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators consume less water. They reduce the quantity of water that comes out of shower or faucet per minute, hence saving water and energy.

If you are using gas hot water tank in your home, you must drain the tank every quarter of the year to dispose of the calcium sediment of your hot water tank. Good energy would be saved since the gas tank has less sediment to heat.

Go in for tank less water heaters, it saves lot of energy as it only works when you turn on the hot water tap. Hot water is not wasted unnecessarily during the night and day when you don’t require hot water. Appliance Tips

Use your dishwasher and washing machine with the full loads only. Don’t wash things that aren’t dirty, people generally have tendency to throw them in the basket because it’s easier than putting them properly.

Always buy energy efficient appliances… Look for the products with the ENERGY STAR label. This label helps us identify energy-efficient appliances and products. Though the cost of these products could be more but they are better and more efficient in the long run.

If your fridge is more than 10 years old just get rid of it. It will help you reduce your energy bill big time.

Make use of the toaster to toast, not the toaster oven. Toaster ovens consume double the energy and take more time than a toaster.

Use a push lawn mower in place of a gas powered lawn mower…good for your health too.

Whenever you open the oven door you lose at least 20% of the heat. Prefer to use the window to check on your foods and keep the door closed.

Try to keep the condenser coils of the freezer or the fridge clean. If they are dirty then they will lose efficiency by about 25%.

Never place food directly into the oven from fridge. Keep food outside for some time until it reaches room temperature.

Dry your clothes in sun.

Prefer to use electric kettle in place of a stove top kettle as it uses much more energy to boil water.

Take care not to leave the door of your refrigerator open.

Prefer to air dry your dish-ware in place of using the heated drying cycle.

It is clear by now that renewable sources of energy are important alternatives to fossil fuels.

Their use reduces our greenhouse gas emissions, expands our energy supply and reduces our dependence on unreliable and volatile fossil fuel markets and above all gives us the satisfaction of doing something good for our nature.

The growth of renewable energy sources also encourages employment, the creation of new technologies and improves the trade balance.

Solar power and wind power are the two foremost readily available sources of power on our planet. Both are renewable energy sources and are abundant and inexhaustible, but even then both generate less than 5% of the world’s electric power.

We are now capable to combine the most influential and abundant forces of nature, which are available to all of us daily. As for example, a vertical axis wind turbine embedded with solar cells is hybrid energy systems of both the technologies.

So if the sun’s shining brightly, but the wind is not blowing you’ve still got power; and vice-versa. If you have both that is even better. In several areas once the sun is strongest the wind speed is low whereas when the wind speed is highest the sun is often the weakest as in winter.

The ultimate solution is to unite these two forms of energy sources to create a steady energy flow. This solution balances out the fluctuations in these powers to give a smoother energy flow. A German company, Bluenergy AG has formed the first integrated solar vertical axis wind turbine.

Elements Projected to Comprise these turbines are: Solar cell Encapsulation technology: Solar cells are covered by layers of pure fluoro-poly-mer in place of standard glass or aluminum. The cell’s surfaces are much more efficient having a Dendrite system which absorbs the sun light from all angles.

Double-helix shaped Wind Vanes: The wind rotor is rotated by two spiral-formed vanes having low installation costs, produces no noise and can be effortlessly maintained from ground level. Generator:

The generator comprises of a rare earth magnets functional on its rotor, providing high efficiency. The fixed winding of the rotor is frequently activated through these magnets, so that the generator straight away delivers power even at low revolutions per minute.

Inverter: The inverter unites the solar electricity and wind generated electrically into one current. The output is standard AC current. Bearings: The axis is a hollow, steel pole, by a double frictionless bearing system to reduce resistance, while increasing efficiency.

How it works

This hybrid solar wind generator makes use of solar panels to collect light and convert it to energy in conjunction with wind turbines to collect energy from the wind. Solar wind charge controllers manage the charging of the energy before it is stored in the battery banks. An inverter, situated in the battery bank, varies the current from DC (direct current) to AC (alternating current which is the type of power used in the majority homes and businesses). Advantages of solar wind turbine

This device is harmless for people, birds and environment.

It uses winds from all directions.

It is spiral in shape and does not make any noise.

It starts charging even with very low wind speeds.

It does not need to shutdown during heavy storms; highest RPMs give way to highest electricity output.

It involves very little maintenance and repair cost.

The generator is positioned in the base on the ground, for this reason it is

very easy to maintain and monitor.

No operating or fuels costs are required as both the solar radiation and the

winds are provided by Nature and are inexhaustible.

Utilization of both wind and sun energy makes it a unique and promises consistent energy generation throughout the year.

Hydroelectric power

Hydro Power: Hydropower is the power obtained from water. It is one of the oldest sources of energy. Historically hydropower was used for irrigation and operation of various machines like watermills, textile machines, wheat grinding, sawmills, dock cranes and domestic lifts. Nowadays, rivers and streams are re-directed through hydro generators to generate energy. Hydropower is energy that comes from the force of moving water either as it flows or as it falls. The water that flows in the river possesses two type of energy: the kinetic energy which is due to flow of water and potential energy which is due to the height of water.

The basic principle behind the generation of hydropower is the force of water turning a wheel which is joined to some machine. It is one of the most widely used renewable sources of energy for generating electricity on large-scale basis. If you have a continual source of falling or running water, you can build a small power plant and use hydropower to generate electricity.